Bona Visitors & Bona Visitors HD: Opinions, Professionals & Cons and Comparability

Are Bona Visitors and Bona Visitors HD the most effective hardwood ground finishes out there? The Bona Firm promotes its high-end merchandise because the cream of the crop, and there may be a lot to love about them, together with some issues too. However is Bona Visitors definitely worth the cash? What about Visitors HD?

This Residence Flooring Professionals assessment of Bona ground finishes solutions these questions, so you’ll be able to determine whether or not to Bona-tize your hardwood flooring. Should you’re in a rush and simply wish to discover the most effective costs on Bona Visitors then click on right here.

Bona Visitors and Visitors HD are two-part merchandise: Half A End and Half B Hardener that’s important to make use of for finest outcomes. Components A and B are bought collectively and individually, so in the event you’re bought on Bona, be sure to get each.

Observe additionally that these merchandise don’t take the place of stains and sealers; they’re utilized as a top-coat end as soon as your ground has been stained and sealed. The beneficial strategy is to use one coat of stain and one coat of sealer first. Bona claims its merchandise will adhere to most ground stains and sealers when they’re correctly ready.

Bona Visitors Evaluate

Outcomes are largely superb or very dangerous with a just some rankings in between. In a single survey, Bona Visitors obtained 5-star rankings from 66% of greater than 40 reviewers. They remark that the flooring seems beautiful, has a tricky layer of safety and stays immune to scratches.

“We utilized Bona Visitors two+ years in the past in our open kitchen and front room space. It nonetheless seems just like the day we put it on. No seen scratches, and we now have an enormous canine and two teen boys!” Janice, Lincoln, NE

Apparently, within the survey, Visitors obtained no three or four star votes. The remaining 34% had been 1 and a couple of stars. That’s a standard distribution amongst all customers. An excellent pattern of the adverse opinions is that this one:

“Utilized Bona Visitors semi-gloss a month in the past. Now, it’s peeling. I’ve to pay to have the stuff eliminated, including $1,000 to the job.” Marco, San Antoni

Let’s discover this product’s options and Bona Visitors execs and cons to find out causes for hit-or-miss outcomes

Bona Visitors options:

• Industrial-grade ground end appropriate for residential use too
• Produced in semi-gloss, gloss and satin that may be a UL-certified anti-slip end
• Water-based
• In response to the producer, “Bona Visitors will adhere to most stains, sealers and finishes after correct preparation.”

What will we like and dislike about Bona Visitors?

Bona Visitors execs:

Mixing and software: For a two-part product, it’s straightforward to combine and use. It dries to the contact in about three hours, although a wait of 72 hours earlier than strolling on it or putting furnishings on it is strongly recommended. The end ranges nicely, so marks from applicator pads, rollers and brushes disappear shortly. Instruments clear up with water and gentle detergent.

“This was straightforward to use with an 18″ curler. Tremendous clean end. No marks” San Jose DJ

Efficiency: Bona Visitors may be very robust and immune to scratches and basic put on. The formulation is obvious when dry and immune to yellowing.

Protection: Count on 350-400 sq. toes of protection per gallon. When figuring out how a lot you’ll want, understand that Bona recommends two coats of Visitors.

Indoor Air High quality: Visitors is UL Greenguard-certified as a low-VOC (risky natural compound) product and has related certifications in Sweden and Germany.

In abstract, these benefits are what you’ll be able to count on when Bona Visitors is appropriately utilized to a correctly ready ground.

Bona Visitors cons:

Value: The typical price for the end and hardener is $115-$135 per gallon from varied sellers. The Bona swivel-head T-bar applicator prices $30. Most mavens use the curler and pad applicators they’re most comfy with and get good outcomes.

Shelf life: The product has a one-year shelf life if not opened. After opening and mixing, its pot life is simply four hours.

Container measurement: It is just out there in a 1-gallon measurement within the US and have to be used shortly as soon as blended, so many shoppers find yourself with a large quantity of ground end that goes to waste.

Improper screening: Customers should apply a display to the bottle as Bona Visitors is poured, so unmixed solids will likely be filtered out. Some discover that the display doesn’t catch all of the high quality particles.

“I discovered a number of small white specks within the liquid as I used to be making use of it. I obtained most of them out, however nonetheless discovered a couple of which are dried into the ground. Annoying.” Meagan, Jersey Metropolis, NJ

Flaking and peeling: Bona doesn’t precisely warn you that this may occur, however does say within the literature, “end outcomes could range broadly relying on the wooden species, particularly on oily and resinous Exotics.” That’s a pink flag. Such woods are one motive for flaking and peeling. The opposite appears to be improper abrading (mild sanding, roughing up) of the flooring earlier than software that’s vital for good adhesion. In different phrases, consumer error, however its widespread sufficient that it have to be talked about amongst your potential outcomes.

Can’t be touched up with commonplace polyurethane: Poly sealer will be spot-sanded to take away the scratches and coated with polyurethane for a nearly-invisible restore. Whereas Bona Visitors and HD are polyurethanes, the formulation is totally different sufficient you could’t restore scratches in Bona Visitors with different polyurethane merchandise. You may use this strategy with contemporary Visitors, however because it has a brief shelf and pot life, you in all probability received’t have any left. At $100+ per gallon, that’s an expensive restore.

Bona Visitors HD Evaluate

The rankings for Visitors HD are optimistic from about 80% of reviewers. Allen J. in Tampa voices compliments heard from many,

“Visitors HD semi-gloss actually made our hardwood flooring ‘pop’ and the floor doesn’t look scratched after 9 mos of individuals carrying footwear on it.”

Lots of the options and execs/cons are just like Visitors, so we’ll be briefer within the evaluation.

Bona Visitors HD Options

• Industrial and residential use
• Further matte, satin and semi-gloss sheens
• Water-based
• Can be utilized over most wooden stains and sealers

Bona Visitors HD Professionals

The HD (Heavy Responsibility) product shares lots of the positives of normal Visitors end. It goes on straightforward, dries shortly, affords 400+ sq. toes of protection per gallon and is a licensed low-VOC product protected for youths, the aged, pets and everybody else.

The Further Matte end may be very slip-resistant, although learn the cons earlier than deciding on it.

Bona Visitors HD Cons

Like Visitors, it’s costly, is available in 1-gallon containers, has a brief shelf/pot life and might’t be touched up with polyurethane. When utilized to oily, resinous or improperly sanded flooring, it may possibly peel too.

Listed here are a pair extra.

• Cloudiness in Further Matte: Matte finishes are produced with components that boring the end. For too many customers, the result’s a cloudy look, particularly darker woods.
• Further Matte reveals marks: Reviewer Miguel77 speaks for a lot of sad customers,

“We utilized [Bona Traffic HD] additional matte end on our flooring, and we hate it. Each footprint and mop mark confirmed. Don’t use additional matte.”

• The excellent news is that mild sanding and the applying of satin or semi-gloss HD Visitors solves the problem.

Bona Visitors In comparison with Bona Visitors HD

These merchandise are extra alike than totally different. Their options, execs and cons overlap considerably. Visitors is obtainable in a gloss. HD affords an additional matte end not out there in Visitors.

The underlying flooring have to be ready the identical method. Listed here are the steps, in line with Bona:

“1. Sand and put together ground utilizing accepted business affiliation strategies. 2. For a stained ground, make your remaining reduce with 80-100 grit paper, then multidisc with 80-120 grit paper. For an unstained ground, make your remaining reduce with 80-120 grit paper, then multidisc with 120-150 grit paper. This burnishing will scale back the quantity of grain increase. three. Use a Tampico Brush on a buffer and vacuum completely. four. Tack with a dry Bona Microfiber Tacking Pad or material. 5. Apply Bona Ending system [Traffic or Traffic HD].”

The first distinction between these merchandise is that Bona Visitors HD produces a more durable end. Within the Visitors HD literature, Bona says it “considerably outperforms all urethane finishes, together with Bona Visitors.”

Visitors HD additionally has a barely decrease 150 VOC rating in comparison with Visitors’s 210 rating.

Are Bona Visitors and Visitors HD Well worth the Cash?

Bona Visitors and Bona Visitors HD price two to 4 instances most water-based polyurethane merchandise from MinWax, Varathane, Common Finishes and related merchandise. In our opinion, the sturdiness is healthier than common polyurethane, however does that warrant the much-higher price? That might rely in your finances.

The opposite price to think about is software. Bona promotes its Visitors finishes as skilled merchandise, that’s to say that they’re produced primarily to be bought to and utilized by flooring set up skilled and contractors.

There are extra issues that may go improper when a product have to be blended and utilized in a short while and subsequently it is sensible to depart this kind of end to an skilled skilled. So we don’t actually advocate Bona Visitors or Visitors HD for DIY software until you’re feeling assured that you already know what you might be doing.

Learn our put up on How you can Apply Polyurethane 

Should you’re hiring a flooring contractor, you’ll get the most effective outcomes when the contractor makes use of the polyurethane product and instruments they use day by day. In case your contractor’s go-to product is Visitors or Visitors HD, then you definately’ll in all probability be very blissful along with your flooring. Ensure that the contractor ensures the end. If the contractor prefers a extra conventional polyurethane, our suggestion is to take the advice.

Bona FAQ’s

Q. How do you apply Bona Visitors?
A. Full Bona software directions will be discovered right here

Q. What number of coats of Bona Visitors do you want?
A. Bona recommends two coats of Bona Visitors or Visitors HD end

Q. How lengthy does Bona Visitors take to remedy?
A. It is best to wait three hours between coats. You may stroll sparingly on the ground after eight hours and Bona Visitors remedy time for full utilization is 24 hours.